Floral Cooly
by tasuku-sempai
Summary: After Haruko left, Naota dissappeared without a trace...this is his story. [FINISHED]
1. Chapter 1

Haruhara Haruko.

What's in a name, anyway? A rose by any other name would still be just as yellow.

Just like my Raharu. Yes, _Raharu._ I don't care what that brat may have called her. He's just a kid anyway-what he says doesn't matter around here anyway.

Of course, it matters even less now that he's gone. The kid…Noah, was it? He had been reported missing. I should know, I was the one who did the report.

Indeed, he was long gone-no one knew where he was. I know because I looked for him. I searched him out, hunted him down. He was dangerous, a threat to society. I took it upon myself (and my eager officer, Kitsurubami) to eliminate this threat.

But he was nowhere to be found.

This turn of events seemed very obtuse to me; I had to get to the source of it.

So I went to Mabase. I turned that town inside out.

Nothing.

I then expanded my search to include every town with a Medical Meccanica facility in or even near it.

No kid.

Becoming desperate, we tried to hone in on his N.O signal from headquarters.

Zip. Zero. Nadie.

It was as though he simply…_disappeared._

That's what a more uneducated person would assume, anyway. However, I was way more better educated.

My instincts told me that I knew there was more to this.

After some pondering, the answer came careening at me like a sack of obvious kittens.

There was only one possible explanation.

The kid did NOT disappear.

"He's simply in an alternate dimension."


	2. Airport to Paradise

There is no such thing as a dead oak tree.

I'd never heard of one, at least. Every oak I've ever seen is always so tall, sturdy and strong, and is spoken of the same.

I had _never_ heard of an oak tree falling.

That's why it was so shocking to me to finally witness it. How I ended up under the falling tree, I don't remember.

Actually, I don't remember _anything _before that.

I didn't feel the impact of the tree, because the next instant, and I was in an airport.

With an all-too familiar face there to greet me.

"Takku-I mean, Naota?" That voice. I recognized it immediately. Because of that, I chose to ignore its presence.

But something like that didn't stop Samejima Mamimi from running her mouth.

As a matter of fact, few things did.

"You running away too, huh Ta…Naota-kun?"

Again, I stayed silent.

"Well then, Welcome to Paradise. Or at least, the Airport that'll take us there."


	3. Nothing Important

_Shooting stars fly past our heads every day,_

_Big, small, bright, dull_

_Each taking its own unique path to destiny_

_As we watch the countless stars fly past,_

_We wait for the right one, the perfect star, to cross our path_

_And soon there are fewer and fewer stars..._

_Each bright and obvious,_

_But still we are not satisfied_

_And, then, soon after there are no stars left..._

_Don't wait for the perfect star,_

_"Perfection" is fictional_

_Nothing is perfect_

_Hitch your soul to a shooting star, the first one that flies by,_

_Even if its path becomes rocky, _

_There are plenty more stars in the sky..._

"Watcha writing, Naota-Kun?" She asked me, leaning over my shoulder to look at the paper I was scribbling on.

I paused for a moment before answering. "Nothing important," I said, crumpling the paper and tossing it into the middle of the aisle.

"Passengers, we have almost arrived at Sunflower City. Please fasten your seatbelts, we may come across some turbulence."

Mamimi quickly buckled herself in, while Naota decided to take his chances.

Besides, right about then, Naota would welcome a bump on the head with open arms.


	4. Not The Time

A true traveler knows that all roads, no matter how familiar, all lead to the same place.

That's what makes picking the path to take so much easier. The end result will always be the same.

But still, I never thought I'd reach the end of the road so fast.

I chose the path I chose because I thought it was longer.

But the end of my little joyride had led me back to where it always did.

To the two people that reminded me of why I left Mabase in the first place.

_Little brother, now is just not the time…._

But it wasn't his fault. He wanted to escape, too.

I couldn't help but wonder how Dad and Grandpa felt about having _two_ of their boys turn out to be cowards.

Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I greeted them both the same way I always did.

"So, what do you want now?"


	5. Showdown

What do I want?_What do I want!_

_After all this time without so much as a word from you, after all this time I?ve spent in the cage called Mabase without you?_

_You left without so much as a goodbye, but you still managed to leave your shadow behind for me to drown in._

_After all I've dealt with because of you, that's all you have to say to me?_

"I know what I want, Tasuku. And it's-,"

But I didn't have time to respond. A split second later, and I remembered exactly how it felt to have a guitar swung against my head.

But it wasn't the same as before. It just didn't feel right. Something was different.

"That's not a bass."

"Of course not. Six-strings will always be superior, Naota. Just like I will always be superior to you."

At this, the hairs on my neck stood up straight. I felt a familiar patch of searing through my forehead, and before I knew what was happening, my body moved on its own to strike.

My brother didn't even bother to try and dodge. He cracked the body of my Flying V with the tip of his headstock, and shoved me away, still holding my guitar.

Looking down at me, he grinned. "So, you're actually gonna fight, eh?" At this, Tasuku dropped my bass on my lap, his smile spreading. "I'm so proud little brother! You're all grown up!"

Ignoring his condescending words, I jumped and swung again.

Apparently, my brother was quite fast.

He was behind me in an instant, and I found myself swinging at air as I felt the guitar hit the back of my head, leaving me to write on the ground.

"Have it your way, kid. It's a showdown!"


	6. Interlude

When a flower finally blooms, it is a most beautiful sight to behold.

This is why gardeners feed the seeds with water and sing to them every day.

So that one day, they can admire the stunning colors and the brilliant fragrances with the satisfaction that they helped bring such beauty into the world.

Some would say that in a small way, gardening helps prepare you for parenthood.

When the wounded, bleeding boy on the ground jumped to his feet, one look into his eyes and I knew.

Nandaba Naota was no longer a child. He was a man-one that could take care of himself.

Then, in the smallest whisper…

"Thatta boy, Takkun."

And once again, I ride off into the stars, with the most beautiful sight I have yet to behold still fresh in my mind.


	7. Down

"So, you're back on your feet again, huh?" Tasuku spat. The venom was just dripping from his voice. He had asked for competition, and I gave it to him.

But I guess he hadn't expected this much from his little brother.

We had been going at it for about two hours, and his fatigue was becoming more and more apparent. I could see the give in his eyes.

"You can't be doing this!" he screeched. "You'll always be two strings down from me, Naota! GIVE UP!"

At that, I slam my bass into the top of his head, and, grabbing him by the hair, I bring him face to face with me.

"Sorry, _Takkun_, but I'm just not that generous," I sneer. "But, tell you what-get on your knees and beg and I'll consider letting you live."

He spat in my face in response.

"Cut the crap, Naota! I know you won't do it," He snarls through the bloody, mangled mess that was his face. "You're just a kid."

"You just don't get it, do you?" I sat, kicking him in the gut and punching his face.

"This is a showdown, bro. That means only one of us comes out alive." I grin maliciously, and raise my guitar into the air.

Then drop it to the ground, laughing hysterically.

"Man, you should've seen your face."

And at those words, the world around us crumbled.

One chapter left, kids! Questions, comments, suggestions? Reviews are appreciated.


	8. Paradise: Finale

A voice. I didn't recognize it, and in the seemingly endless fog that now surrounded me, there was no face to be put with it.

**You have been searching for Paradise.**

_Have I? _Naota thought.

Thinking back, that seemed to be exactly what Naota had been doing.

And already, he was happier than before.

**What's wrong with your life now, Naota? You've got friends, family that care about you,** the voice continued.

**You've got a good life, kid.**

"My life sucks."

**Make the best of your life in Mabase!**

"I have no life in Mabase."

**Don't waste your time searching for Paradise, kid. There's no such thing.**

At this, I am silent.

I believe…

**Naota, go home. Back to your family and your _life_.**

I believe in something better than what's inside Mabase walls. Already I've seen that.

I believe in you, Haruko…and…

"I believe in Paradise."

At this, the fog shatters, and I'm back in the bottom bunk of my bedroom in Mabase. In my gloomy, boring, godforsaken hometown.

Immediately I get up and gather some things I'll need on the road: clothes, money, a pocketknife, I.D.

I look around and decide that to leave my Dad and Grandpa a note is the least I can do.

I pour all the things I had gathered into a backpack, and step foot outside, looking inside my house for the last time. Finally, I smile, slide my backpack on, and start to walk out, until the realization that I've left something important hits me like a sack of bricks.

I turn to run back to my room, but trip before I get started.

I smile as I realize what's under me.

I rise, blue Rickenbacker bass guitar in hand, and smile to the stars as I begin living my life for the first time.

"I know you're out there…and to me, that's Paradise."

(The-End)


End file.
